GARC Championships Going Virtual for 2021
LEXINGTON, Ky. – For the first time, the Great America Rifle Conference Championships are going virtual as all nine teams will compete inside their home ranges across two days to crown three individual champions and one team champion for 2021.
All nine GARC teams – Army, Akron, Kentucky, Memphis, Navy, NC State, Nebraska, Ole Miss and West Virginia – will compete in the event. The teams will compete in smallbore three position (60 shots) Saturday and air rifle (60 shots) Sunday with most of the schools starting around 9 a.m. ET each day.
Every school but Akron will be using results.megalink.no for live targets, while the Zips will use their normal live target software. NCAArifle.org will be updated frequently throughout both teams keeping a live scoreboard of all the action.
Individual first-, second- and third-place honors will be given in both disciplines and aggregate. A top kneeling, prone and standing honor will also be given during smallbore. Unlike past GARC Championships, the top honors will be given based on an individual’s score during the regular competition as no finals will be shot due to the virtual format. Each school may shoot their own final round in each discipline, but the results from that final will not count.
At the conclusion of air rifle Sunday, a team champion will be crowned based on the total team aggregate from both smallbore and air rifle. Kentucky, Ole Miss and West Virginia each won a share of the regular-season title in 2021.
Last season, Kentucky won the team title at the event – its first since 2009 – with a total team aggregate score of 4711. West Virginia finished second with a 4693, while Akron was third at 4683. UK also swept the podium in air rifle with Will Shaner finishing first, followed by Ruby Gomes and Mary Tucker. In smallbore, Nebraska’s Emily Cheramie took the top spot, followed by UK’s Tucker and Nebraska’s Macey Way.
Earlier this week, Kentucky qualified for its 27th NCAA Rifle Championships. The Wildcats secured the spot after three high marks during regular-season competition and a strong NCAA Qualifying score last weekend. The championships will be held at Converse Hall in Columbus, Ohio, on March 12-13.
For more information on the Kentucky rifle team, visit UKathletics.com or follow UKRifle on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.